In September 2008, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, a huge shock to me. Within you will find my journey into the scary world of cancer and my struggles to emerge from it.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Canoe Test

How will a potential spouse be in a crisis? One never would know by just going on carefully controlled dates in which everyone is on their best behavior.

I read recently that couples should go on a 2 day canoe trip. Something is bound to go wrong and there will be ample opportunity to blame the other. You then would see what your potential spouse would truly be like.

Steve and I actually did go on a 2 day trip down the Pere Marquette River before we were married. It is a difficult river with rapids, strong current and many twists. The strong current pushes one right into log jams. I did most of the steering and we happily survived with no blaming the other. A few years later,, though, we went down a calmer river in Ohio (Miami or Little Miami) for a 2 hour trip. The Rule of the River: the stronger the current; the more you have to paddle to maintain control. Steve didn't understand this. He thought, the stronger the current, the less work you have to do. He was in back this time in charge of steering. Losing control meant that I got branches in my face. With increasing irritation, I explained the Rule of the River to him to no avail. That was our last canoe trip together. I found other people to canoe with such as my son.

Our one day of spring has quickly reverted to crappy winter again. Fortunately it is my Y day. I returned to my yoga lass last night. The instructor fortunately has toned down the class somewhat but has an annoying habit of singling me out for correction. What I am trying to do is to totally relax. I often find my muscles all tense even in the middle of the night.

After my yoga class, I took a good friend to the hospital at night for some tests. This particular lab is open to 11 pm. It is so eerily walking the halls so late at night.

Steve and me

About me

I am a mother of 3, wife of 1, and grandmother of 6. For years, I had been a medicinal chemist. Not long after I was retired early, I found myself with triple negative breast cancer. My struggles with it are in this blog along with the joys and trials of being a mother and grandmother. I love to be physically active, travel, read, and garden. Although my degrees are in chemistry and cellular biology not medicine, I keep up with the medical literature and report herein watching closely for good news against this deadly disease. As time goes on, my stay in Cancerland has become more a bad memory than a reality. This blog has since morphed into a photo blog in which I try to capture moments of beauty in my life.